Coin collecting is a passion for many and a solid addition to investment portfolios for others. No matter your reason for choosing to start collecting or investing in silver coins, the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins are usually one of the most common choices. These coins are the official bullion coins of Canada.

Though the Silver Maple Leaf coins are not really made for circulation throughout the country, they do have a legal tender status with a face value of $5 CAD. However, the actual market value of each coin changes regularly, depending on the price of silver at the time. Since the coins are made of one troy ounce of silver and are guaranteed 99.99 percent silver, they’re a great addition to anyone’s collection.

History of the Silver Maple Leaf Coin

Since the coins have been minted and guaranteed since 1988, there are several years, and even a few different styles, to choose from. While each coin in this collection always has a large maple leaf as the focal point, there have been proof releases, colored leaves, and even some with different designs, such as the coins created for the 25th Anniversary of minting in 2013.

The number of coins minted each year varies. Because of this, some years are in higher demand than others. For example, there were fewer than 101,000 of the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins minted in 1997, which makes it extremely popular with collectors. In 2010, on the other hand, there were 17.8 million coins minted, making it a more common, and less expensive, coin to get your hands on.

Design Elements

The profile of Queen Elizabeth II is on the obverse of the coin, along with the face value of the coin and the year it was minted. However, there are three versions of the profile. You can find those with a young profile, those with an old profile, and those with an even older profile on the obverse.

The back side of the coin always has a maple leaf, though there have been variations to this leaf over the years. In some cases, there is even a small, though common, blemish that is milky white. This baked-in spot happens if the coin is not completely cleaned and detergent is left on it.

The different designs of the maple leaf on these coins have been created by different artists. For example, the colored leafs for 2003-2007 were created by Stan Witten. Simon Ng created the designs for 2009-2011, as well as 2013-2014 for the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf designs with a hologram leaf.

The Royal Canadian Mint offers a number of different series of the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf for differing years. This allows collectors to find exactly what they need to augment their collections, no matter what they’re looking for. While some of these have large numbers minted, others, like the Canadian Maple Leaf Forever series, only have 100,000 minted.

Versions of The Silver Maple Leaf

When choosing the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin, you need to decide whether you want to get circulated or uncirculated coins. This affects the market value of the coins, as there are generally fewer of the uncirculated coins available.

In general, finding a Silver Canadian Maple Leaf coin to add to an investment portfolio or collection is not difficult. Normally, this type of coin has a higher number minted. However, specific years become scarcer due to low mintage numbers. For example, the 2010-2014 hologram Silver Maple Leaf coins had only 8,888 coins minted each year making it harder to find and therefore slightly more expensive.

There have also been other special issue coins minted in larger numbers such as the 25th Anniversary Maple Leaf and the Horse Privy coin minted in 2013 and 2014 respectively. These types of coins are popular because of their lower premiums compared to lower mintage coins and their distinct designs.

Popularity and Availability

There are many reasons why these coins are popular with collectors and investors of physical silver. Because of the high-grade silver used, these coins are regularly sought after by investors to augment their investment portfolios. Investors enjoy the variety the Canadian coins offer, as opposed to some other minted coins, such as the US American Silver Eagle. The unique designs and special markings on many of the coin years make these a great find for collectors.

Canadian Silver Coins like the Maple Leaf are often readily available to the public. Luckily Silver.com carries a large selection of Uncirculated Maple Leaf coins from different years, as well as certified and graded coins, as well. Be sure to look over our online catalog of these coins and take advantage of free shipping on orders of $3,000 or more with the lowest prices online!